Watch: Henry Nicholls' vigil ends in bizarre fashion after ball hits Daryl Mitchell's bat at non-striker's end
New Zealand middle-order batter Henry Nicholls had to walk back after a freakish dismissal on Day 1 of the ongoing third Test against England at Headingley on June 23. The southpaw managed 19 runs before a cracking straight drive off left-arm spinner Jack Leach which resulted in his unfortunate departure.
The dismissal occurred in the 56th over of the innings when Nicholls struck a solid straight drive, finding the middle of the bat. However, the 30-year old's shot hit his teammate Daryl Mitchell's bat at the non-striker's end and lobbed into Alex Lees' hands at mid-off.
#ENGvNZ Have you ever seen anything like it?!
Henry Nicholls smashes the ball onto team-mate Daryl Mitchell's bat and he's caught by Alex Lees at extra cover 😱 #ENGvNZ
https://t.co/ap3o4h6hPY
Leach, who picked up his second wicket after striking with his first ball of the match, initially failed to understand what had happened. Nevertheless, the 31-year old's teammates surrounded him and started to celebrate before replays showed what transpired. It was also the final delivery before the tea break and ended Nicholls' 98-ball vigil after England's repeated strikes had reduced the Kiwis to 83-4.
Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first, but lost their openers Tom Latham and Will Young within the first hour. Kane Williamson, who returned for the third Test after missing the second, struck five boundaries before departing for a 64-ball 31. Stuart Broad and Jack Leach have so far bagged two scalps each, while debutant Jamie Overton removed Devon Conway for his maiden wicket.
Henry Nicholls has struggled in the series so far
The Christchurch-born batter missed the first Test as he sustained a calf injury in training and hardly experienced any game time before the series. He managed scores of 30 and 3 in Nottingham as the tourists lost the game by five wickets and gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series.
A Test victory that will live long in the memory!
Full 15-minute highlights: ecb.co.uk/video/2646386
🏴 #ENGvNZ 🇳🇿 https://t.co/KKkbJbSaUa
Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes shared a breezy 121-ball 179-run stand as England successfully chased 299 on the final day at Trent Bridge for victory. New Zealand currently have their last recognized batting pair of Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell at the crease, with the score reading 183-5 after 72 overs. They will look to repeat their heroics of Lord's and Nottingham.